The present invention relates, in general, to electronics, and more particularly, to methods of forming semiconductor devices and structure.
In the past, the number of pins or terminals of a semiconductor package that were available often formed one restriction or design parameter in designing the integrated circuit. The ability to combine more than one function on a single terminal was advantageous in efficiently utilizing the number of package terminals that were available. Examples of circuits that utilize one terminal for more than one function are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,859,768 issued to Jefferson Hall et al on Jan. 12, 1999 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference and also in U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,355 issued to Frans Pansier et al on Apr. 6, 1999.
In some applications, the value of the signal that represented more than one function or more than one functional state could exceed the maximum signal values that were usable by the integrated circuit. Applying such signal values could result in damaging the integrated circuit.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a circuit and method of determining multiple functional states of a signal that do not result in damage to the circuit that receives the signal.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale, and the same reference numbers in different figures denote the same elements. Additionally, descriptions and details of well-known steps and elements are omitted for simplicity of the description. As used herein current carrying electrode means an element of a device that carries current through the device such as a source or a drain of an MOS transistor or an emitter or a collector of a bipolar transistor or a cathode or anode of a diode, and a control electrode means an element of the device that controls current through the device such as a gate of an MOS transistor or a base of a bipolar transistor. Although the devices are explained herein as certain N-channel or P-Channel devices, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that complementary devices are also possible in accordance with the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the words during, while, and when as used herein are not exact terms that mean an action takes place instantly upon an initiating action but that there may be some small but reasonable delay between the reaction that is initiated by the initial action.